Gas-engine.



C. E. HATHAWAY.

GAS ENGINE.

APBLIOATION FILED JULY a, 1913.

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, GAS ENGINE. APPL'IQATION FILED JULY 8, 1913.

Patented Sept.- 29, 191%.

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

cmmrns n. HATHAWAY, or MUnrHYsBoRo, rumors.

GAS-ENGINE. I

specification.

' sleeve. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the compression shell.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines the object in view being to provide novel and effective valve mechanism for controlling the intake and exhaust of the gases,the said valve mechanism be;

ng Contained wholly within the engine and concealed thereby and operating silently and with precision.

A further object oftheinvention is to provide a valve shell operating between the piston and the cylinder wall; combined with driving mechanism for revolving said valve shell at the proper rate of speed consistent with the cycle of operation; also means for maintaining the proper compression in' the combustion chamber and preventing the leakage of the gas during the explosion and compression strokes of the piston.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a system of gearing between the crank shaft and valve shell for imparting rotary motion to the valve shell; also means for adjusting the lead between the valve shell and crankshaft, or in other words advancing or retarding the valve shell with respect to the rotation of the crank shaft and consequently the movements of thepiston.

A further object of the invention is to so arrange the parts hereinabove referred to as to enable the working faces thereof to be 'propcrly lubricated.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction,- combination and, arrangement of )arts, as will hereinafter be more fully described, illustrated and claimed;

- In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vertical diametrical section through an internal combustion engine embodying the present invention' Fig, 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-'-3 of Fig. 1. Fig? 4' is a detail perspective view of the valve The crank case'of the improved-engine isindicated at 1,2 designating the cylinder, 3

-. fting sai the piston mounted to reciprocate therein, 4 the connecting rod, 5 the wrist pin 6 the crank shaft and 7 the crank to which the connecting rod 4 is attached.

In carrying out the present invention, the crank case 1 is provided adjacent to the top thereof with a lateral cylindrical oil"- set 8 to provide space for a spiralgear wheel 9 which is fast on a valve shell operating Specification 0! Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 29 1914. Application filed July 8, 1913. Serial No. 777,881.

shaft 10 journaled in'jsuitable bearings in the crank case. and'mounted for longitudi nal movement for a purpose I which will hereinafter appear. The shaft 10 is drivenfrom .the crank shaft 6 by means of a silent chain 11 which passes around a wheel 12'on the crank shaft and another wheel 13 of theshaft 10, the wheel 13 being provided with a square central hole l t through which a correspondingly squared portion 15 of the shaft 10 is adapted. to slide, the wheel 13 I being sustained against lateral movement by any convenient mechanical expedient.

The bore of the cylinder 2 is materially larger than the external diameter of-the The valve shell 16 has fast on the lowerend thereof a spiral gear wheel 18 which meshes with the wheel 9- and is driven thereby. In a four-cycle engine the wheel 18 9 and at onehalf the speed of the crank ton 3 which, in a four-cycle 'en inc, has

is' of course centrally apertured as. shown at 19 to allow ample clearance for-the movement of the connecting rod 4.

fAt a suitable oint, the valve shell 16 isofi'-- set or enlanged orming an annular shoulder ternal annular shoulderQl within the cylinder as shown in'Fig. 1. This sustains the exhaust orts of the cylinder while permit-- valve to revolve freely varoundthe piston. The shell 16 extends outwardly intothe cylinder'head22 which is' formed sepapiston 3 for the purpose of enabling a valve shell 16 in the form of a hollow cylinder torevolves at one half the speed of the wheel.

shaft 6 so that the valve shell will be'car-.- ried through one complete revolution for each complete cycle of operation of the pis-- four complete strokes back and orth for each explosion or impulse. The wheel 18 20-which bears against acorresponding in-"..

valve .in proper relation to the inlet and- 1 'rately from the main body of the cylinder and secured thereto by cap screws 23 or their equivalent. The valve shell 16 is also mternally'enlarged or rabbeted as shown at 24 to provide for the reception of a com-' pression shell 25 in the form of a thin ,hollow cylinder split or divided at one side to .enable said compression shell "to .be compressed and set into'the outer portion of the -hell-16, In order to prevent the as either while being. compressed or expl ed from passing around-the-outer extremity or edge of the valve shell 16, a compression ring 26 is set: into a recess orannular groove 27 in the cylinder head, said compression ring hearing at all times against the compression shell and'lying in close contact, therewith. The cylinder is'waterrjacketed as shown at -j 28 and the cylinder head is also'waterjacketed as at 29.

The work'ng parts just hereinabove described are easily-lubricated by passing' oil or other lubricating material through a supply pipe 30 having two branches 31 and 32. The branch 31 leads through the cylinder wall and also through a port 33 in. the'valve shell so-as to supply the lubricant between the working-faces of the valve shell 16 and the compression shell 25.. The branch 32 leads through the cylinder-wall and introduces the lubricant between the working faces of the-valveshell" 16 and the cylinder -'wall, the latter being formed with an oil duct or groove 34 extending lengthwise thereof so as to insure the carrying of the oil throughout the length of the valve shell and cylinder wall. The lubricating oil is -dumped into the crank case by passing over the gear wheel 18 and is carried back to the pipe 30 or a tank from which the pipe 30 leads ed by any" suitable oil pump (not shown).

The compression shell 25 is provided with an inlet port 35 and an exhaustport 36 which'r'egister with an inlet port 37'and an exhaust port38 in the cylinder. The valve shell '16 is provided with a port 39 which,

during the rotation of said valve shell, registers first with the inlet portand afterward with the exhaust port, thevalve. shell being of course properly timed to open the Q intake port during the suction stroke and the i exhaust port during the scavenging stroke.

' The leadbetween the valve shell 16 and the crank shaft 6 may be adjusted and 'varied by a longitudinal movement of the shaft 10 which does not efi'ect a shifting of the wheel 13 but which does. shift the spiral gear on said shaft and "as said last named gar-movesin one direction or the other, it'of' eoursea'cts to partially turn the wheel 18in one direction or the other. This has the efiecflof advancing or retarding the :valveshell: in relation to the rotation 6f thdcrank shaftifi thusipresenting the port-39 into register with the inlet and exhaust of the valve shell earlier or later orts of the cylinder and thecompre ssion shell 25. 7

-From the foregoing description it will be understood that the crank shaft 6 imparts rotary motion to the shaft 10 through the silent chain 11. The spiral gears on the shaft 10 and the valve shell 16, cause said shell, in a four-cycle engine, to turn at one half the speed of the crank shaft. In each complete revolution of the valve shell 16, the port therein registers at different times with the intake and exhaust ports, allowing a charge of gas to be sucked into the COIllbllStlOIY chamber during the suction stroke of'the piston, and allowing the burnt gases to be expelled through the exhaust port during the scavenging stroke of the piston. The valve shell thus acts noiselessly as does the chain 11, all of the working'parts of the valve mechanism being contained wholly within the crank case and cylinder of the engine. The compression shell '25 taken in connection with the compression ring 26 prevents leakage of gas durin the compres sion and explosion strokes and thereby maintains the proper-compression in the combustion chamber.

- The cylinder, in the preferred embodiment of the invention is formed separately from the crank case 1 and bolted or otherwise fastened thereto; The wheel 18 is preferably pressed upon thelower portion of the valve shell. and will ordinarily be keyed in place thereon so as to insure the simultaneousrotation of said parts. This enables the wheel 18 to be removed from the shell 16 in order to detach the latter .from the cylinder which may be done by removing the cylinder head.

The working faces of the piston,.cylinder, valve shell and compression shell are .easily and perfectly lubricated in the manner here inabove described and the usual splash system maybe employed in the crank case for are practicallyjno cavities for the gas to enter and burn other than the space'directly over the "piston; For these reasons the engine will be capable of long and hard serv ice with very little-adjustment and repair, there being no delicate parts to get oht-of v order while at the same time the engine is capable of being manufactured of light weight combined with thenecessary strength to impart king and hard service thereto. .The purpose of retarding or advancing the valve shell in relation to the crank, is to admit and discharge the gases at an earlier or later poifit of crank travel. Where as much power as possible'is desired at a slow speed of the engine, retarding the valve or port opening in relation to the crank cause the gases to be retained in the cylinder until the piston reaches its extreme point of travel on its power stroke before the exhaust ports are open. Where very v high speed of the engine is desired or necessary, the valve shell may be advanced and the gases may be admitted at an earlier point of crank travel, which will allow the engine to clear itselfmore freely at high speed. What is meant by the engine clearing itself more freely is to allow the burntgases to be discharged at an earlier point of crank travel, or get out of the cylinder before the piston 'starts up on the exhaust stroke. NVith this type" of valve inretarded position the gases will be admitted later,

which is necessary to attain perfect carburation-at slow speed of the en 'ne, and at high speed, with the valve :1 vanced, the gases will be admitted earlier which is' practicable on account of the rapid movement so of the piston. I

What is claimed is:

In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a crank shaft, a cylinder provided with an internal valve abutment shoulder, a reciprocatory' piston, a cylindrical valve operating between the piston and cylinder wall and ported to register with the intake and exhaustports of the cylinder, an annular external shoglder on 40 

